Temperature control for gas ranges



June 10, l1941. B, F, WADDELL 2,245,060

TEMPERATURE CONTROL FOR GAS RNGES Filed NOV. 8, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 nQ@ l37 44 INVENTOR l 9 n y mwfw@ ATTORNEYS y June 10, 1941. B. F.WADDELL 2,245,060

TEMPERATURE CONTROL FOR GAS RANGES Filed Nov'. 8, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet?June 10, 1941. B. F. wADDl-:LL

TEMPERATURE CONTROLl FOR GAS RANGES Filed Nov. 8, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 3550 soo 45o 400.5@ 50o 250 20o Low HIGH

lvNToR @um JJM Y @wie fws M ATTORNEYS June 10, 1941. B. F. WADDELLTEMPERATURE CONTROL FOR GAS RANGES 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Nov. 8, 1,957

- NVENTOR mffweqe B Mm-Smm ATTORNEYS Patented June l0, 19.41

2,245,060 TEMPERATURE oorrraoi. Fon cas aimons Benson F. Waddell,Jackson Heights, N. Y., as-

signor to The Wilcolator Company, Newark, N. J., a corporation ofDelaware Application November 8, 1937, Serial No. 173,377

8 Claims.

This invention relates to regulators for gas ranges and other gasburning appliances of the type employing two or more burners adapted toheat an oven or the like. More particularly, the invention is concernedwith a novel regulator for a plurality of gas burners which includesboth. a thermostatically actuated valve Icontrolling the rate of flow ofgas to the burners, and a manually actuated valve by means of which anoperator may selectively turn on vthe gas to one or both of the burners.

It is common in gas ranges to control the temperature'in an oven or thelike by means of a thermostatically actuated valve responsive to theoven temperature and operable to regulate the flow of gas to the ovenburner. It has been proposed heretofore to arr-ange a by-pass around thethermo-responsive valve permitting a small but constant ilow of gas tothe burner to provide a minimum maintaining dame, whereby ameextinguishment is prevented when the thermo-responsive valve closes. Inthese gas ranges as commonly made, the minimum maintaining flame evenwhen made as llow as possible consistent with safety is usually too highto permit an oven temperature as low as 250, which is desirable in somecases, unless the burner is of such a small size or capacity as tosacrifice quick heating to the higher temperatures. This objection togas ranges of the type referred to has been overcome by providing twoburners, either separate burners or two parts of a duplex burner, whichare of such size that the by-pass iiow to one of them is suilciently lowto maintain the desired low temperature and the combined heatingcapacity of both together is suiiiciently great to .permit the desiredquick heating to higher temperatures.

The present invention is directed to the provision of novel regulatingmeans for two or more burners which includes in a` unitary structureboth a thermostatically operated valve for controlling the rate of ow ofgas to the burners and a manually operated valve for selectivelyconnecting one or both of the burners to the supply of gas admitted bythe thermostatic valve. The new regulator also includes novel .by-passmeans controlled by the manually operated valve for Iby-plassing gas ata'certain rate around the thermostatic valve when only one burner isturned on and for automatically increasing the rate of flow of the'by-passed gas when both burners are turned on, so that there is alwayssuiiicient bypassed gas to prevent extinguishment of the burner orburners which are turned on. The bypass means, in addition, ispreferably arranged ing regulation. of the thermo-responsive valve fortemperature adjustment. Preferably, a handle is operatively connected tothe shut-off valve and a second handle, such as a dial, similarlyconnected to the thermo-responsive valve or its operating means, and thetwo handles are interlocked in axial alignment whereby the position ofthe handle for the shut-od valve determines the operating limits of theother handle. That is, when the handle for the shut-oil valve is A movedto the position for connecting only one burner to the gas supply themovement of the adjusting handle for the thermo-responsive valve isconfined within limits corresponding to a relatively low temperaturerange, whereas when the handle for the shut-olf valve is moved to theposition for connecting both burners to the gas supply the operatingrange of the handle for the thermo-responsive valve is automaticallychanged to permit temperature adjustment through a relatively highertemperature range. A suitable scale of temperature graduatlons ispreferably arranged in cooperative relation with the handle or dial forthe thermo-responsive valve, whereby the oven temperature correspondingto any given setting may be easily read.

In order to permit operation of the exhaust damper :for the oven burnersautomatically in accordance with the number of burners which areoperating at any time, means may .be employed for controlling theexhaust damper by the movement of the operating handle for the shutoffvalve. To this end, I provide novel mechanism mounted on' the casing ofthe gas regulator and operated by the handle of the shut-ofi valve 'foropening the damper a predeterminedamount when the shut-olf valve is inposition to connect one -burner to the gas supply, and a greater amountwhen the shut-oil valve is in 4position to connect -both burners to thegas supply, the mechanism operating to close the damper automaticallywhen both burners are cut o from the gas supply.

These and other features ci the new regulator will be better understood.by reference to the iol-n 2* 2,245,060 lowing description taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side view of one form of the new regulator;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal, longitudinal section on the line 2-2 in Fig. 3;

Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;Figs. 4, 5, 6 and 7 are sections on the lines 4-4, 5 5. 6-6 and 1-1,respectively, in Fig. 3;

Fig. 8 is a plan view in detail of the manually operated shut-oil.'valve;

Figs. 9, 10 and 11 are sections on the lines 8-8. |0|0 and I,respectively, in Fig. 8;

, Fig. 121s a front end view of the shut-off valve shown in Fig. 8;

Fig. 13 is a detailed view of the same section as Fig. 5, showing theshut-011' valve in an intermediate position;

Fig. 14 is a front view of the operating or adjustment handles for theshut-off valve and thermo-responsive valve Fig. 15 is a section on theline |5-l5 in Fig. 3;

Fig. 16 is a detailed view of part of the interi lock mechanism betweenthe two operating handies; Y

Figs. 17, 18 and 19 are sections on the lines |1-|1, |8|8 and |9|9,respectively, in Fig. 3; Fig. 20 isa view of the same section as Fig. 18with parts of the mechanism. removed, showing the parts in position fordisassembling the operating handles;

' Fig. 21 is a detailed view of the handle foropi erating the shut-offvalve;

Fig. 22 is a development of the peripheral surface of the handle foradjusting the thermoresponsive valve, showing a-scale of temperaturegraduations thereon; K

. Fig. 23 is a side view of another form of the new regulator providedwith means for controlling the oven damper automatically; and

Figs. 24, 25 and 26 are transverse sections of the regulator shown inFig. 23 illustrating the damper control mechanism in differentpositions.

The regulator is preferably of the type employing a thermo-responsiveliquid contained in a closed system including a bulb located within theoven, a flexible metal tube extending from the bulb-to the exterior ofthe oven, and an expansible and contractable chamber connected` to theouter end of the tube. A regulator of this type is described in PatentNo. 1,978,362 granted October 23, 1934. ,It will be understood, however,thatthe features of the invention may be employed in connection withthermostatic regulators of other types.

Referring to the drawings, the bulb adapted to be mounted in the oven isshown at and the tube leading therefrom at 3|. At its outer end, thetube 3| is connected to the regulator casing or a part mounted thereon.'I'he casing, shown `at 32, is adapted to be secured as hereinafterdescribed to the manifold 33 of the gas range. The rear portion of thecasing 32 includes a main chamber 32', the rear wall of which isprovided with an opening over which is secured a cup 34. A flexible'metal bellows 35 is sealed within the cup toform an annular space 36between the cup end of the bellows, and a rod 4| is secured at one endto the disc and extends inwardly through. the central opening in theannulus 39 which serves as a guide for the rod. A spring 42 arrangedbetween the disc 48 and annulus 39 tends to keep the bellows expanded byurging the rod 4| toward the right, as shown in Fig. 3.

Beyond the annulus 39, the rod 4| is provided ,with a threaded portion43 extending into the main chamber 32' in the casing. A square nut 44 isarranged on the threaded end of the rod, and the ilat sides of the nutlie within a square sleeve 46 in closely adjacent relation with thevsides of the sleeve.

of the thermostatic lever 48 is bifurcated to t over the reduced portionof the nut 44, the legs of the bifurcated portion of the lever extendingdownwardly on opposite sides of the reduced portion of the nut. The legsof the bifurcated lever 48 are bent as shown in Fig. 3, and theintermediate portions of the bent legs contact the shoulder 41 on thenut. The lever 48 is pivotally supported intermediate its ends on a pin49, and beyond the pivot it is connected to the stem 50 of a valvemember 5|. The valve member 5| is disposed adjacent a valve seat 52 andcooperates therewith to control the passage of gas through an opening52' formed in the valve seat. The valve member is urged toward its seatby a coil spring 53 which is compressed between the valve member and avalve cap 54 which closes an opening in the casing through which accessmay be had to the valve. A flange 55 is mounted over the front of thecap 54 by means of bolts 56 which extend through longitudinal openingsin the upper part of the casing 32 from the rear end thereof and arereceived in threaded openings posed between the face of the cap 54 andthe adv jacent face of the flange 55. As shown particularly in Fig. 3,the hollow boss '55 is threaded into an opening formed in the gas supplymanifold 33 at the front of the gas range, whereby gas from the manifold331s supplied to the inlet side of the valve 5| through the passage 51.The hollow boss 55 is preferably threaded into the supply manifold 33before the flange 55 which carries the boss is connected to the casingand before the manifold pipe 33 is mounted on the gas range. Theinstallation may be conveniently effected by first threading the bossvofthe detached flange 55 into the detached manifold pipe 33 and thenmounting the manifold pipe on the range and connecting the gasing 32 'tothe flange 55 by means of the bolts The square sleeve 46'is connected tothe inner end of a rod or shaft 60 which projects through the front ofthe valve casing and carries an operating handle or dial, to bepresently described, permitting adjustment of the bimetallic lever 48.'I'he forward portion of the casing 32 through which shaft 60 extends isformed with a conical opening which flares outwardly from the chamber32' and forms a seat for a rotatable valve member 6| of a shut-offvalve. The valve member 6| ls of a generally conical shape and isdisposed in the casing with the tapered end thereofV near the reduced orinner end of the conical. seat, whereby the valve member and seat formgastight seal. At its tapered end, the valve member 6I is formed with anaxial bore 62 communicating with the main chamber 32' in the casing. Theshaft 60 extends through the bore 62 and is substantially smaller indiameter than the bore so that an annular space is formed in the valvemember 6I around the shaft 60. Beyond the bore 62, the shaft 60 extendsthrough a smaller bore in the valve member 6I coaxial with the bore 62,the shaft fitting snugly in the smaller bore to form a gas-tight seal.Preferably, the shaft 60 intermediate its ends is formed with anenlargement 60' which fits against the tapered front end of bore 62 soas to limit the forward movement of the shaft in the valve 6I and sealthe bore 62.

The conical valve member 6l near its rear or tapered end is formed withtwo circumferentially spaced openings 64 and 64 which extend from theperipheral surface of the valve member to the annular passage in thebore 62. The openings B4, 64 in the valve member are adapted tocooperate with passages 65 and 65' formed in the lower portion of thecasing 32. As shown particularly in Fig. 5, the passages 65 and B5' openinto the conical seat of the valve 6l and extend outwardly anddownwardly therefrom to the outside of the casing. 'Ihe passages B5, 65'are enlarged at their outer ends and are threaded to receive the ends ofpipes 66 and 6B', respectively. The pipe 66 leads to one of a pair ofburners (not shown) in the oven of the gas range, and the pipe 66 leadsto the other burner. When the valve member 6I is in the oi position, thetwo passages 65, 65' in the casing are closed by the wall ofthe valvemember, as shown in Fig. 5. When it is de sired to operate one of thegas burners, the valve member 6| is rotated in a clockwise direction, asf viewed in Fig. 5, until the opening 64 therein is in alignment withthe passage 65 in the casing,

whereby gas from the main chamber 32' in the casing may pass through thebore 62 and opening 64 in the valve member, passage 65 in the casing,and pipe 66 leading to the burner. When it is desired to operate both ofthe oven burners, the valve member 6l is rotated further in a clockwisedirection, as viewed in Fig. 5, until the opening 56 therein is inalignment with passage 65' in the casing and the opening 64 in the valvemember is in alignment with the passage 65 in the casing. In thisposition of the valve member, the gas may pass from the main chamber 32through bore E2, openings 6@ and 6a', passages 65' and 65 alignedtherewith, respectively, and pipes 66 and 66' to the respective burners.

Beyond the openings 6d, 54' and toward the front or enlarged end of thevalve seat, the valve member 6l is provided with a pair ofcircumferentially spaced openings 10 and 10', as shown particularly in`Fig. 6. The openings 10, 10' communicate with the bore 62 in the valvemember and extend through the wall of the valve member to the conicalseat of the casing.32. The openings 10, are adapted to cooperate withhorizontal passages 1l and 1 i in the casing extending outwardly fromthe conical seat. The passages 1l, 1 i may be conveniently made bydrilling bores in the casing from opposite sides thereof and clos ingthe outer ends of the4 bores by screws 12`and' 12', respectively,threaded therein.. At their outer ends, the passages 1| and 1|'communicate with longitudinal passages 13 and 13','respectively, in

opposite sides of the casing. The passages 13 and 13' may beconveniently formed by drilling bores in the opposite sides of thecasing from the front thereof and closing the front ends of the bores byplugs 14 and 14', respectively, threaded therein (Fig. 2). As shownparticularly in Fig. 2, the passages 13 and 13' communicate at theirrear ends with smaller passages 15 and 15', respectively,- which extendoutwardly and rearwardly from the passages 13, 13'. Preferably, thepassages 15 and 15 are formed by drilling bores in opposite sides of thecasing from the rear end thereof. The passages 15 and 15' toward therear of the casing are closed by plugs 16 and 16', respectively, whichare threaded into the passages and cover adjusting screws 18 and 1B,respectively.

Passages 11 and 11' (Fig. 4) are formed in the walls of the casing onopposite sides of the main chamber 32', and these passages extenddownwardly and outwardly from the chamber 58 on the inlet'side of valve5I and communicate at their lower ends with the passages 15 and 15',respectively. Accordingly, the passages 13, 15 and 13', 15' are suppliedwith gas from the manifold 33, passage 51, chamber 58, and passages 11and 11', respectively, even when the valve 5l is closed. As shown inFig, 2, the adjusting screw 15 is provided at its inner end with anextension disposed near the lower end of passage 11', whereby the rateof flow of by-pass gas to the passage 15' may be regulated by adjustmentof the screw 18. The adjusting screw 19 is provided with anextensionadjacent the outer end of a transverse passage which connects passage 15with the main chamber 32' in the casing, the screw 19 being adjustableto regulate the rate of ow of by-passgas from passage 15 through thepassage 80 into the main chamber 32'.

It will be observed that the openings 10rand 10 in the valve member 6Iare so spaced circumferentially that when the valve 6l is in its olfposition (Fig. 6) the opening 10 is in alignment withv passage 1I in thecasing and opening 10' extends obliquely upwardly toward the oppositeside of the casing. When the valve member 6l is rotated clockwisethrough an angle of substantially the opening 64 (Fig. 5) in the valvemember will be in. alignment with passage 55 in the casing so astovsupply one of the burners, and when the valve member is in thisposition the openings 10 and 10 will be closed by the seat of the valvemember, whereby the passages 13 and 13' will be cut off by the valvemember from the bore 62. However, when the valve member is rotatedclockwise through an additional 90 to connect both of the burners to theinterior of the casing through openings 64 amd64', the opening 10 in thevalve member will `be in alignment with the ers tothe gas supply to theposition for connecting both burners thereto, the opening 1G will passby the passage 1l in the casing and temporarily connect the bore 52 withby-pass passage 13, 15.

Thatis, when the valve member 6I is inix-:rmediatel the two positionsreferred to (Fig. 13) so that the portion of the valve member betweenthe openings 64 and 64' is in alignment with passage 65, the

` outwardly from the front of the casing.

opening inthe valve member will be in exact l alignment with passage 1|in the casing so'as to admit additional gas therein.

Beyond the openings 10 and 10' and towardthe front of the casing, thevalve member 6| is provided with a slot 82 extending circumferentiallyalong its peripheral surface, As shown particularly in Fig. 7, when thevalve member is inA its shut-olf". positionv the slot 82 extends -aroundthe upper part of the valve member from a point opposite passage 13 inthe casing to a point substantially below the opposite passage 13. Ahorlzontal passage 83 extends inwardly from passage 13 in the casing andopens into slot 82 in the valve member. The passage 83 mayl beconveniently formedl by drilling a bore into the casing from the sidethereof and closing the outer end of the bore by a screw 84 threadedtherein. A second passage 85 is formed yin the casing in the sametransverse section as the passage 83. The passage 85 extends downwardlyfrom the lower portion of the seat of valve 6| and communicates at itslower end with a longitudinal passage 86. The passages 85 and 86 may beconveniently formed by, drilling bores in the casing from the bottom andfront thereof, respectively, and closing the ends of the bores by screws81 and 88, respectively. As shown,

' particularly in Fig. 3, the passage 86 at its rear end communicateswith a smaller passage 89 which extends rearwardly and downwardly frompassage 86. The passage 89 is enlarged toward the rear end of the casingto receive an adjusting screw 90 threaded therein. A cap 9| is threadedinto the rear end of passage 89 over the adjusting screw 90 and isremovable from the passage to permit access to the adjusting screw. Asshown particularly in Fig. 4, a transverse passage 92 extends outwardlyin opposite directions from passage 89 in the casing. The passage 92 isenlarged at its ends and a stop plug 93 is threaded into the enlargedend of passage 92 at the right hand side of the casing, as seen in Fig.4. Threaded in the opposite end of passage 92 is a sleeve 94 in whichone end of a conduit 95 is fixed, Thel conduit 95 extends from thesleeve 94 to a pilot burner in the oven (not shown) which is adapted tore-light the oven burners in case they have been accidentallyextinguished.

It will be seen by reference to Fig. 7, that when valve member 6| is inits oi position, the slot 82 therein does not extend to the verticalpassage 85 in the casing, and accordingly the longitudinal passage 86,89 in the casing and the pilot burner (not shown) are cut off from theby-pass passage 13,15 in the casing. However, when the valve the frontof the casing'by bolts 99 which extend through a latch plate |00 andthrough openings in the plate 98, the ends of the bolts being threadedinto the adjacent ends of the longitudinal passages 13 and'13 ln thecasing. Preferably, spacing washers |0| are interposed between the endplate 98 and latch plate |00. The construction of the latch plate |00 isshown particularly in Figs. 17, 18l and 20. As there shown, the latchplate is of a generally circular shape and is provided withdiametrically opposed openings through which the bolts 99 extend. Also,the latch plate |00 is provided with three circumferentially spacednotches |02. |03 and |04 in the periphery thereof. As shown particularlyin Fig. 17, the notches |02 and |04 are diametrically opposed and areformed by a stamping operation which provides ,ears |02 and |04',respectively. extending rearwardly from the plate adjacent the notches.The third notch- |03` is intermediate4 the notches |02 and |04 and doesnot have an adjacent ear.

The latch plate |00 is struck to form a pair of diametrically opposedlugs or ears |05 which project forwardly from the plate and are bentout\ wardly against a key plate |06. The key plate |06 is in the form ofa disc and lies flat against the l front face of latch plate |00, asshown in Figs. 18 and 20. A central opening |01 is formed in the keyplate |06 and the central opening has diametrically opposed enlargements|08 in which the heads of bolts 99 are disposed. The ears |05 on thelatch plate |00 extendl around opposite edges of the central opening |01in the key plate and lie at against the front face of the key plate tohold the latter securely in position.

A notch |06 is formedin the periphery of the key plate |06. Normally,the key plate |06 is held on the fixed latch plate |00 in the positionshown in Fig. 18. However, the ears |05 on the xed latch plate permitthe key plate |06 to be rotated in a counterclockwise direction from theposition shown in Fig. 18, until the notch |06 in the periphery of thekey plate is in alignment with notch |02 (Fig. 20) in the latch plate.The purpose of aligning the notch |06 in the key plate with notch |02 inthe latch plate will be described in detail presently.

The stem 6|' of the valve member 6| is attened on the top and bottom, asshown at |10,

and mounted on the stern is a disc provided member 6| is rotatedclockwise from the position i therein will extend between the transversepassage 83 and vertical passage 85 in the casing,

the casing through passage 83, slot 82, passages 1 85,/86, as and 92,conduit 95 and throughV the latter to the pilot burner.

The front end of the valve member 6| is in whereby gas will be suppliedfrom passage 13 in the form of a hollow stem 6| which projects The valvemember 6| is retained against its conical seat in the casing by a coilspring 91 which abuts at one end against the shoulder formed byK the lstem 6| and at its opposite end against a plate 98 mounted over' the endof the casing and provided with an opening through which stern 6|extends. The` plate 98 is held in position against with a centralopening through which the stem 6|' extends. A rearwardly extendingflange ||2 surrounds the central opening in disc and the opening andflange have attened portions corresponding to the attened portions ||0on the stem. Accordingly, rotation of disc ||I will cause rotation ofthe valve member 6|. The construction of'the disc is shown in Fig. 16.As there shown, the disc is struck to provide two spaced ears ||3 and||3'A extending forwardly from the front face of the disc. The disc isfurther provided with three slots ||4 formed near the periphery thereof.As shown in Fig. 16, two of the slots ||4 are diametrically opposed,while the third slot lies intermediate the other two slots.Diametrically opposed to the intermediate slot ||4 is a 4 fourth slot||5 in the disc near the periphery thereof, the latter slot beingsimilar in shape to the slots ||4 except that it is provided with anenlargement, as shown. Along its -periphery, the disc is provided withthree spaced ears ||6 which extend forwardly from thedisc. One of theears ||6 is disposed at the top of the casing when valve 6| ispositioned to cut off both ascenso 1 n outlet ports 65 and 65'. and thisear bears suitable indicia such as the word 011. Another of the ears H8is diametricaily opposed to the first ear and appears at the top of thecasing only when the valve is rotated 180 to supply both outletv ports85 and 65C The latter ear bears appropriate indicia such as the word1-Iigh. The third ear H0 lies intermediate the diametrically opposedears and appears at the top of the casing only when valve 6| is in itsintermediate position for supplying only the outlet port 65. This earhas the word I row" inscribed thereon. The slots H0 and lib are adaptedto receive suitable arms of a handle for rotating the disc and therebyturning valve member 6|, as will be described presently.

A nut ||`l is arranged on the threaded outer end of shaft bil, andinterposed between the nut and the end ci the hollow stem 6| of thevalve member is a coil spring l I1'. lt will be apparent that the coilspring |I1 normally urges the shaft Sd outwardly with respect to valvemember 6|, whereby theenlargement $0' on the' shaft is maintained inengagement with the tapered front end of the bore 02 in the valvemember.

The shaft 5@ for adjusting the thermostatic lever i8 is adapted to berotated by a suitable calibrated dial it@ mounted on a sleeve ||9 on theshaft. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the rear portion of the sleeve ||9 isof such diameter that it fits closely in the bore of the dial ||B and isprovided with a flange its against which the rear end of the dial abuts.The forward portion of the sleevei i9 is of a smaller diameter and has acollar itimounted thereon. The collar is received inta recess in theiront end of dial H8, and the dial, sleeve and collar are held againstrelative movement by an adjusting screw |2| which extends through a slotin the periphery of the dial and is threaded through an opening in thecollar into engagement with the sleeve iis. The front end of the sleeve||9 is provided with an inwardly extending circumferential flange |22which extends closely around the threaded portion of shat t0. As shownin Figs. 2 and 19, the flange tt on sleeve H9 is provided with a key |23extending into a keyway ma formed in the threaded portion of shaft t0.Accordingly, rotation of the dial will cause rotation of the shaft tid,whereby the position of the square nut lll and the thermostatio lever itin the casing may be adjusted.

On the periphery of dial ||8 is a. scale of temperature graduations |25,a development of which is shown in Fig. 22. The scale of graduations |25cooperates with the two ears on disc i which bear the words Low andHigh, these two ears being preferably pointed as shown in Figs. 14 and16. That is, when either of the the latter two ears is moved to the topof the regulator by rotation of disc so as to open one or both of theoutlet ports 65, 65', the ternperature for which the regulator is setmay be read on the scale |25 beneath the point of the ear. Rotation ofdial iii? for regulating the thermostatic lever Q8 is limited by theforwardly extending ears lil-"l and lili' on the disc When the parts arein their assembled positions, the ears i3 and |53' extend into a groove|26 formed in the rear face of 4the dial ||8 and are adapted to beengaged by a web |27 extending across the groove` |25, the web |21 beingdisposed between the ears llt and H3', as shown in Fig. l5. Y Thus, 'thedial il@ and disc are interlocked by the ears H3, ||`3 andweb |21 sothat the limits through which the dial III may be rotated with respectto the top of the casing are determined by the position oi'disc lil.

'Ihe disc is adapted to be rotated by a handle |28 loosely mounted onthe outer end of shaft 00. A plate |29 is screwed on to the inner faceof the handle |28 and carries four inwardly extending arms |30, as shownin Fig. 21. The arms |30 are spaced from the periphery of dial III topermit rotation of the dial relative to the handle y |28. One of thearms |30 is provided near its inner end with an inwardly extending lug|3I, and this arm extends through the enlarged slot ||5 in the discwhile the other three arms |30 which do not have lugs thereon extendthrough the slots lll in the disc. The arms |30 are held by disc isubstantially in contact with the periphery of key plate |08 and latchplate |00 (Figs. 17 and 18), andthe handle |28 is held against removalfrom shaft 60 by the key plate |06 which covers the notches |02, |03 and|04 in the latch plate and thereby prevents the passage of lug |3|through these notches. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the threaded end ofshaft 60 extends into a central bore formed in the handle |23.. Arrangedin the bore of the handle is a coil spring |32, one end of which isseated against the handle at the end of the bore and the other end ofwhich abuts against the end of a sleeve |33 loosely mounted over shaft00 in the bore of the handle |20. The otherlend of the sleeve |33 restsagainst the nange |22 of sleeve |19. It will be apparent that the coilspring |32 normally urges handle |23 outwardly away from dial ||0so asto maintain the lug |3| on arm I3@ in engagement with the rear face oflatch plate |00 or key plate |06, depending on whether the lug isaligned with one of the notches |02. |03 or |06 in the latch plate.However, li the lug |3| is engaged in one of the notches |02, |03 or |04in the latch plate, thereby locking the handle |28 in one position, thehandle |20 may be unlocked to permit rotation thereof by pushing itinwardly against the thrust of spring |32 so as to remove the lug |3|from the notch.

The regulator may be connected to the supply manifold 33 at the front ofthe gas range near the operating handles for the other burners of therange, and the tube 3| is extended through a wall of the oven to thebulb 30 which is arranged in a suitable location in the oven. When theoven is not in use, the handle |28 is in 'the position shown in Fig. i4,in which the/disc displays at the top of the casing the ear |6 bearingthe word Oi In this position of lthe handle and disc, the valve member5| is maintained in the position shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, in which theoutlet ports t5 and S5' for supplying the burners are closed and thepassage t5 for supplying the pilot is cut o il from its supply passage83. However, gas is supplied to the kmain chamber 32' in the casing frommanifold 33 by way of I passage 51, chamber 50, passages 'il (Fig. 4)and l3-l5, and both of the passages 80 and 'M -W. Also, since thebellows 35 is expanded by spring 12 when the oven is cold, the valve 5|will be held open by lever' it to admit gas into the casing through theseat 52. Accordingly, when the handle |28 is turned clockwise through anangle of from the position shown in Fig. 14, gas from y the main chamber32 will pass immediately through opening 66 in the valve member 6| andinto outlet port 65, with which opening 64 will now align, whereby oneof the burners will be supplied with gas. It will be apparent that whenthe handle |28 has been rotated through 90 from its off position, thedisc which is rotated with it to turn valve 6|, will display at the topof the casing the ear H6 bearing` the word LoW, indicating'that one ofthe burnersA the main chamber 32 in the casing from by-pass passage 'I3by way of transverse passage 80, and

' accordingly a minimum flame will be maintained on the burner `suppliedby outlet port` 65 regardless of the position of the thermostaticallyoperated valve 5|. 'I'he rate of ilow of by-pass gas through transversepassage 80 into the casing and accordingly the size of the minimum flamemay be regulated by the adjusting screw 19 (Fig. 2). When the oven isheated to a certain temperature by the burner supplied by outlet port65, the bellows 36 will adjust valve 5| so as to maintain asubstantially constant tempera- Accordingly, in the event that thethermostatic valve 5| is closed, a greater supply of by-pass gas will beavailable for the burners than was available when the valve 6| was inthe low position. This is a desirable feature, since the amount ofby-pass gas necessary to maintain ay minimum flame on both of theburners is considerably greater than that necessary for maintaining aminimum iiame on only one burner. f

It will be apparent by reference to Figs. 6 and 13 that as the valvemember 6| is rotated clockwise from the low position to connect bothburners to the gas supply, the opening 64 will admit gas to the outletport 65 before the opening 'I0 is inl alignment with passage 'II'.VUnless suitable provision were made, both burners would then be suppliedwith by-pass gas only through passage 80, and the gas thus suppliedwould not be sufficient for safe minimum ame. To avoid this possibility,I provide the opening 10' in the valve member 6| which acts as a boosterwhen the valve member is in its intermediate position shown in Fig. 13.That is, when the valve memture in the oven depending on the position ofnut 44 as determined by the setting of dial H8.

In rotating the handle |28 from the o position to the low position, theears H3 and H3' on disc are moved clockwise with the disc through anangle of 90 from the position shown in Fig. 15. Since the angularposition which the dial H8 may assume relative to the casing is limitedby the position of ears H3, H3', the dial will now display a differentportion of its periphery at the top of the casing. The portion of theperiphery |25 which may now be seen at the top of the casing is thatcorresponding to a relatively low temperature in the oven, as forexample, the graduations running'from 200 to 375. The ears I I3 and H3permit rotation of the dial IIB from a position in which the lowestgraduation 200 is beneath the point of the low ear H6 to a position inwhich the graduation 375 is beneath the low,ear. When the graduation 200is beneath the point of the low ear H6, the nut 44 will be set on thethreaded shaft 43 for a minimum temperature which will be malntainedsubstantially entirely by by-pass gas dowing through passage 80, thethermostatically operated valve 5I being closed or nearly closed,depending on the calibration of the regulator. When the dial H8 isrotated clockwise so far as ear I I3 permits to bring the graduation"375 under the point of the low ear, the nut 84 will be in a position inwhich the bellows 35 and its associated parts will control valve 5I tomaintain a corresponding temperature in the oven.

When it is desired to obtain a higher temperay'ture in the oven, thehandle |28 is rotated clockwise an additional 90 to move valve 6| to aposition in which opening 64 therein aligns with passage 65 and opening64' therein aligs with passage 65, whereby both of the oven burners areconnected to the main chamber 32 in the casing. The burner which is nowfed by outlet port 65 will be lit automatically by the pilot burner,since the pilot light is still maintained bybypass gas flowing throughslot 82 in the valve member to the auxiliary passage 85. The opening l0(Fig. 6) in the valve member 6| is now aligned with passage 'II'communicating with by-pass passage 13', and therefore by-pass gas willbe supplied to main chamber 32 from by-pass passage 13 as well as fromby-pass passage'13,

ber 6| is in its intermediate position, the opening 'I0' (Fig..6) is inalignment with passage IlII in the casing, whereby gas from by-passpassage I3 is admitted to the bore 62 in the valve member. Thisadditional gas admitted to the bore 62 momentarily increases thepressure therein sumciently to assure proper ignition of both burnersuntil additional by-pass gas is admitted upon alignment of opening 'I0with passage 'II'.

In turning the handle |28 clockwise from the low position to theposition for supplying both burners, the disc II I is rotated therewithso that the ear IIS bearing the word High appears at the top of thecasing, indicating that both of the oven burners are supplied with gas.Also, when the disc III is rotated to its high position, the ears H3 andH3 thereon are moved clockwise an additional so as to limit the dial H8to positions in which a dilerent portion of its periphery appears at thetop of the. casing. The portion of the periphery |25 which now appearsat the top of the casing corresponds to a relatively high temperature inthe oven. the ears H3 and H3 in their` new positions limit the rotationof dial H8 between a position in which the graduation 375 is beneath thehigh ear H6 and a position in which the graduation 550 is beneath thehigh ear. Rotation of the dial 8 within these limits adjusts the nut 44on threaded rod B3 so that the bellows 35 and valve 5| maintain atemperaturel in the oven corresponding to the reading on the scale |25beneath the high ear H6.

The handle |28 is confined within the high and 01T positions by the ears|02 and |04' adjacent the notches |02 and I 00, respectively, on thelatch plate |00. These ears are arranged to engage the lug I3I on arm|30 when the handle is in either its o or its high position and therebysecure the handle against rotation beyond these positions. When thevalve member 6I is in any one of its oif, low or high positions, the lugI3I is disposed in the corresponding notch |02, |03 or |08,respectively, in the latch plate 00 and is prevented from passingthrough the notch by the key plate |06 on the latch plate. If it isdesired to remove the operating parts for the shaft 60 and valve 6|, thekey plate |06 is rotated in a counter-clockwise direcy tion on latchplate |00 to the position shown in Fig. 20. In this position of the keyplate, the

That is,

|02 in the latch plate. Accordingly, when the handle |20 is rotated tothe oil position wherein lug |3| is opposite the aligned notches |02 and|06', the arms of the handle may be withwill always be assembled in sucha way that the y off ear ||6 on the disc is in its proper position atthe top of the casing when valve member 6| is in the position forclosing both of the outlet ports 65 and 65.

The regulator may be conveniently calibrated by loosening the screw |2|and rotating the dial ||8 and collar |20 on the sleeve ||9. Once thediall h as, been i'lxed in the proper `position on sleeve H9', it mustalways be assembled in the same xed position with respect to its shaft80 by reason of the tongue and groove connection |23, |24 between thesleeve and shaft. If for any reason it is desired to rotate the dial Hbeyond the limits fixed by the ears ||3, H3' after the parts areassembled, this may be done by first drawing the dial forwardly againstthe thrust of the yielding collar |33 until the web |'2i on the dialclears the ears H3, ||3'.

In the operation of Jgas ranges, it is desirable that the flue area ofthe oven be suillciently great to accommodate the flame of the ovenburner or burners. However, in order to obtain a high thermaleiliciency, the ilue area should not be excessive. That is, a singleburner operating normally should have about one-half the flue arearequired for two similar burners. In

the form of the new regulator shown in Figs. 23 to 26, inclusive, 'Ihave provided means for automatically controlling the damper for theoven burners in accordance with the number or capacity of the burnersthat are in operation. As shown in Fig. 23, the disc has a cam plate |35mounted on the rearv face thereof. 'I'he cam plate |35 extendsrearwardly and then outwardly from the disc and has a periphery of theform shown in Figs. 24 to, 26, inclusive. A bracket |36 is secured tothe bottom of casing 32 by means of bolts |31 threaded into the casing.The bracket has a horizontal leg extending to one side of the casing anda vertical leg 36 extending downwardly from the end of the horizontalleg. Pivoted to the lower end of the leg 36 is a horizontal lever |38carrying a roller or follower |38 at its free end. A vertical arm E39 isbolted to the lever |38 Aintermediate the ends thereof and is connectedat its upper end to a chain |40. The chain |40 leads to the operatinglever, of 'a damper for the oven burners controlled by the regulator,the damper being of any well-known construction. The damper normallytends to assume a closed position and accordingly exerts tension on thechain |40 so as to maintain the follower |38 in engagement with theperiphery of cam plate |35.

When the operating handle |28 is in the "ofP position (Fig. 24), the lowportion |35a of the periphery of the cam plate engages the follower |38'and permits the damper to assume itsnormally closed position in whichlever |39 is in the position shown in Fig. 23.l However, when the handle|28 is rotated clockwise through an angle 0f 90 to the 10W position(Fig. 25), theA portion |35b of the cam plate |35 rides against thefollower |38', thereby forcing the arm |38 downwardly around its pivotand moving the upper end of arm |39 to the left, as seen in Fig. 23, soas to open the damper about onehalf way. When the handle |28 isrotatedan additional 90 to the high position, the high portion |35c of the camplate engages the follower |33 and moves the follower to the positionshown in dotted lines in Fig. 23. In this position of the follower, theupper end of the lever E39 is held further to the left as seen in Fig.23, so that the damper is wide open.

With this construction, I 'provide means for automatically securing aplurality of positions of the outlet damper so as to accommodate aplurality of burners which may be used singly or ln combination.Accordingly, the oven controlled by the new regulator may be operated4at a high thermal efciency. It will be apparent that where more thantwo burners are employed in the oven, the handle |28 will have anadditional operating position for each additional burner, and the camplate |35 will be arranged to move the damper to various positionscorrespondlng' in number to the number of operating positions of handlet28. When the handle t28 is moved to its "off position after the oven isheated, the cam plate |38 will permit the damper to close, whereby theoven will operate as a ilreless cooker. i

I claim:

1. A regulator for two or more gas burners which comprises a casinghaving an inlet opening for admission of gas, a thermo-responsive valvefor controlling the passage of gas 'through the inlet opening, aplurality of outlet ports in the casing for connection to the burners;valve means in the casing for selectively connecting one or more of theoutlet ports to the interior of the casing, means in the casing foradjusting the thermo-responsive valve, an operating device for each ofsaid adjustment and valve means', and means for interlocking saidoperating devices to limit the operation of the adjustment means to apredetermined temperature range when said valve means is in one positionand to a different temperature range when the valve means is in anotherposition.

2. A regulator for two or more gas burners which comprises a casinghaving an inlet opening for admission of gas, a thermo-responsive valvefor controlling the passage of gas through the inlet opening, aplurality of outlet ports in the casing for connection to the burners, arotatable valve member in the casing for selectively connecting one ormore of the outlet ports to the interior of the casing, means extendingwhich comprises a casing having an inlet opening for admission of gas, athermo-responsive valve for controlling the passage of gas through theinlet opening, a plurality of outlet ports in the casing for connectionto the burners, a rotatable valve member in the casing for` selectivelyconnecting one or more of the outlet ports Aferent positions of thevalve member, a dial mounted on said shaft bearing temperature iridiciacooperating -With one of said indexes Ain one position `of the valvemember and with another of said indexes in a different position of thevalve member to indicate the setting of the thermo-responsive valve, andmeans for rotating the valve member.

4. A regulator for two or more gas burners which comprises a casinghaving an inlet opening for admission of gas, a thermo-responsive valvefor controlling the passage of gas through the inlet opening, aplurality of outlet ports in the casing for connection to the burners, arotatable valve member in the casing for selectively connecting one ormore of the outlet ports to the interior of the casing, a shaftextending through. the valve member for adjusting said thermo-responsivevalve, a disc mounted on the valve member for rotation therewith andhaving indicia thereon for indicating the position of the valve member,a pair 'of spaced projecting elements on the disc, a dial mounted onsaid shaft for adjusting the thermo-responsive valve and having aportion normally disposed between said elements, the dial being movableaxially with respect to the disc to Withdraw said portion from -betweenthe projecting elements, vand means for rotating the valve member.

`5. In a gas regulator for a pair of burners, a casing having a valveseat and a pair of outlet ports opening into the seat for connection tosaid burners, a hollow cut-off valve in the casing co-acting with theseat and rotatable in the casing to selectively connect one or both ofsaid ports to the interior of the casing, a manually adjustableregulating valve in the casing for controlling ow through the cut-offvalve and including a valve member and a seat, a duct in the casingbypassing said regulating valve for admitting gas into the casingindependently of the regulating valve, a thermo-responsive elementcontrolling the regulating valve and located i-n the casing beyond theinner end of the cutot valve, adjusting means extending through theeut-olf valve generally parallel to the axis thereof,

the adjusting means being mountedfor rotation independently of thecut-off valve and defining with the cut-off valve 'a gas-way extendingpartly along the adjusting means, the gas-way 'being adapted to connectsaid ports with the regulating valve, a handle for turning the cut-offvalve to move a partof said gas-way into and out of means and theregulating valve to adjust the t regulating valve when the adjustingmeans is rotated.

6. In a gas regulator for a pair of burners, a casing having a valveseat and a pair of outlet ports opening into the seat for connection tosaid burners,A a hollow cut-off valve in the casing coacting with theseat and rotatable in the casing to selectively connect one or both ofsaid ports to the interior of the casing, a manually adjustableregulating valve in the casing for controlling ow through the cut-offvalve and including a valve member and a seat, a duct in the casingbypassing said regulating valve for admitting gas'into the casingindependently of the regulating valve, a thermo-responsive elementcontrolling the regulating valve and located in the casing beyond theinner end of the cutoff valve, means in the easing for bypassing gasaround said regulating valve to the interior of the casing at a certainrate when only one outlet port is connected to the interior of thecasing and at agreater rate when more than one outlet port is connectedto the interior of the casing, adjusting lmeans extending through thecut-off valve generally parallel to the axisthereof,-

'7. In a gas regulator for a pair of burners, v

a casing having a valve seat and a pair of outlet ports opening into theseat for connection to said burners, a hollow cut-off valve in thecasing coacting with the seat and rotatable in the casing to selectivelyconnect one or both of said ports to the interior of the casing, amanually adjustable regulating valve in the casing for controlling flowthrough the cut-off valve and including a valve member and a seat, aduct in the casing bypassing said regulating valve for admitting gasinto the casing independently of the regulating valve, athermo-responsive element controlling the regulating valve and locatedinthe casing beyond the inner end of the cutoi valve, means in thecasing controlled by the cut-orf valve for bypassingl the gas aroundsaid regulating valve .to the interior of the casing at a certain ratewhen only one outlet port is connected to the interior of the casingandat a greater rate when more than one outlet port is connected to theinterior of the casing, adjusting means extending through the cut-offvalve generally parallel to the axis thereof, the adjusting means beingmounted for rotation independently of the `cut-off valve and dening Withthe cut-ofi valve a gas-way extending partly along the adjusting means,the gas-way being adapted to connect said ports with the regulatingvalve, a handle for turning the cut-off valve to move a part of saidgas-way into and out of alignment with the ports, and an operativeconnection between the inner end of said adjusting means and regulatingvalve to adjust the regulating valve whenthe adjusting means is rotated.

8. In a gas regulator for a pair of burners, a casing having a valveseat and a pair of outlet ports opening into the seat for connection tosaid burners, a hollow cut-off valve inthev casing coacting with theseat and rotatable in the casing to selectively connect one or both ofsaid ports to the interior of the casing, amanually adjustableregulatingy valve in the casing for controlling ow through the cut-offvalve and including a valve member and a seat, a duct in the casingbypassing said regulating valve for admitting gas into the casingindependently of the regulating valve,- a thermo-responsiveelementcontrolling the regulating valve and located in the casing beyond theinner end of the cut-o valve, a pair or bypass passages in cut-off valveand dening with the cut-off valve a gas-way extending -partly along theadjusting means, the gas-way being adapted to' connect said ports withthe regulating valve, a handle for turning the cut-off valve to move a'part of said gas-way into and out of alignment with the ports, and anoperative connection between 4 the inner end of said adjusting means andregulating valve to adjust the regulating valve when 1G the adjustingmeans is rotated.

BENSON F.

